The Combine-Imperium War
|side2= |side3= |side4= |commanders1= * * * * |commanders2= * |commanders3= * |commanders4= |battles= *Assault on Mim *Battle over Vorcia *Bombardment of Vorcia |prev=The Erebos Incident |conc= Destruction of Aterius |next= }} The Combine-Imperium War, known in Aterius as La Caída, was a galactic war that lasted from September 1245 to January 1246. Resulting in the deaths of more than five billion people, it is regarded as the bloodiest war in Ingosi history, and it included the usage of weapons of mass destruction. The war began on the 22nd of September 1245, when Supreme Commander Uhlek rebelled against the Imperial Council's decision to begin a détente with the Combine, and seized control of much of the Imperial fleet, simultaneously declaring secession from the Imperium and war on the United Republic, though this declaration was not public and its transmission was blocked by the Imperial loyalists, resulting in the distinction between Loyalists and Rebels remaining muddled. Uhlek's primary campaign was against the United Republic's capital world of Mim, believing that disabling the Republic's political centre was key to collapsing the state and to act as a staging post for further assaults on the Combine. Arriving directly at Mim on the 17th of October, Uhlek's assault was aided by the Loyalists cover-up of his declaration, and his initial assault had striking success on the planet, disabling much of its orbital defenses, aided by the element of surprise. A Combine counterattack later relieved Mim from the assault, and Uhlek's fleet began to crumple under its crippled supply lines that had been sabotaged by Loyalist assaults. However, attempts by the Loyalists to inform the Combine of Uhlek's rebellion were also sabotaged by Uhlek's agents, and soon the Combine assaulted the Loyalist Vorcia system. Attempts to inform the Combine fleet of Uhlek's treachery were sabotaged, and the Combine forces in the system easily swept aside the crippled Loyalist fleet, while Uhlek's own remainders fled Mim. Vorcia fell within a day under heavy orbital bombardment, and Lord Lochlainn Comhairle destroyed the Ingosi holdings of Aterius. Five days later, the remnants of the Imperial government collapsed and Uhlek's remaining forces dissolved, marking the end of the war. The Combine-Imperium War marked significant changes in Ateri social structure and governance, leading to the first self-governing Ateri state in over a hundred years, as well as the downfall of Alkarzia-Aterius as a galactic military power. The war also led to the near-extinction of the Alkarzi, also known as Lehgoa, species. The Rebellion On the 21st of September 1245, the Imperial Council at Vorcia made a decision to begin a diplomatic détente with the Combine in order to secure the Imperium's future through peaceful means. While a unanimous decision by the council, Supreme Commander Uhlek was not consulted prior to the debate or during it, as the Council was aware he would threaten them into complying with his own wishes of an escalated war readiness, to deter the Combine and later strike against them. Upon learning of the decision of the Council, Uhlek immediately instituted a state of total readiness in the military, intending to force the Council to retract their decision or Uhlek would seize power. The Council refused to back down, however, and Uhlek ordered immediately claimed power for himself, declaring the current Imperial government as illegitimate and seizing control of roughly 70% of its military assets. Uhlek's international declaration, however, was intercepted by an Imperial intelligence agent, and its transmission was blocked, and all but the Vorcia garrison of the Imperial Military defected to Uhlek, beginning the war. Uhlek soon embarked a great deal of his forces to the United Republic capital of Mim, expecting the brunt of their military to be stationed there for him to defeat in a crippling stroke. Battle of Mim Upon arriving at Mim on the 17th of October, Uhlek was surprised by their lack of readiness for the assault, unaware his transmission had been blocked. Nevertheless, he continued on with the assault, destroying much of Mim's garrison in his initial assault. Despite the initial success, Uhlek was aware of his precarious position - he had initially intended to crush the majority of the United Republic's fleet, and yet here he had only crippled a small portion of it, leaving him open to a swift counterattack from the United Republic's other fleets. As such, Uhlek was unable to commence a proper bombardment of Mim, preoccupied with the United Republic's fleet, and the battle raged over Mim for a month in a vicious stalemate. Uhlek's lack of civilian support and the lengthening battle proved to be his downfall, as supply lines began to dwindle and Mim became more of a distraction than against the Combine than a serious battle. On the 21st of November, Athrugadhi and Tectonian relief forces arrived at Mim, and Uhlek could no longer hold off the now greater enemy force. United Republic forces pressed their advantage, driving out Uhlek's fleets with allied assistance and relieving their capital finally. Uhlek's forces were entirely driven out of the United Republic on the 23rd of December, though by this point the Supreme Commander had returned to Vorcia to properly seize control of the government, with a small portion of his invasion fleet. Battle over Vorcia On the 13th of December, ten days before Uhlek's rebel forces were disabled, the Combine reached the Vorcia system, facing a heavily understaffed defensive garrison and a tiny remainder of the Imperial fleet. Four days prior, Uhlek had returned and engaged in a brutal battle over the planet that laid waste to his own token force and the remaining Imperial fleet. Despite outnumbering Uhlek's personal fleet by nine-to-one, Uhlek's superior staffing and tactics resulted in the brutal battle crippling Imperial resistance. Uhlek's assault on Vorcia was made in an attempt to seize control of the Imperial Council's remaining authority and hold full control over the Imperium, and to that end he blitzed the planet, landing only an hour after arriving in the system and engaging in a thunderous ground battle in the government sector. In less than three hours, Uhlek managed to both force the Loyalist fleet to withdraw and seized control of the government sector, having captured Executor Axos in the process. Uhlek had the remaining members of the Imperial Council executed for their opposition to him, but was unable to solidify control over the remaining fleets, which were now commanded by a powerful and Imperial-loyal AI. Uhlek now controlled the planet, but the Loyalists in orbit closed in on his fleet, pressing the numerical advantage, and trapping Uhlek. Three days after the deaths of the Council, however, the Combine fleets arrived at Vorcia, most notably the Ka'lu'umil's force led by Admiral Lafseus. The Loyalists attempted to make contact in a desperate plea, but in the process exposed a new flaw in their communications, courtesy of rebel sabotage, which the Combine forces quickly exploited to shut down Imperial communications entirely, leaving their forces highly disorganised and resulting in a decisive Combine victory in space in less than a day, marking the end of the Loyalist military. Vorcia however, was still capable of defending itself, and held out against severe orbital bombardment for twelve more days under Uhlek's command, until finally its defenses crumble and the planet was lost. Uhlek escaped on the eleventh day of bombardment, slipping out in a small warship after his remaining forces attempted a breakout. On the 25th of December, Vorcia fell, and both the Imperial Loyalists and Rebels now had no military to speak of. End of the Imperium By the 1st of January, Uhlek's rebel command structure was entirely broken, leaving him as the last legitimate Imperial officer. The Loyalist government, now an emergency governance based in Acal, Aterius, maintained sovereignty for the next eight days relatively unharmed, until Lochlainn Comhairle ordered the Destruction of Aterius, wiping out the majority of the remaining Loyalist government. Five days later, the remainder of the emergency government collapsed under internal disputes, and no authority left laid claim to the Imperium's sovereignty, marking its utter destruction. It took two months before the scattered Ateri enclaves began to communicate with each other on a large scale, but of these, despite many having great populations, only the Ateri Free State under Archon Kairus was willing to communicate with the rest of the galaxy, though it would soon undergo a regime change, with Antonius Dios assuming leadership of the state. The change in Ateri society as a result of the war was unparalleled in scope. With the Imperium's emphasis on a professional military composed mainly of hardened members and the genocide of over five billion Ateri by Lochlainn Comhairle, the percentage of Ateri under the age of thirty exploded from twenty-nine percent to fifty-seven percent, and Ateri society became subject to a large scale liberalisation as a result. As a result of the war, Aterius lost a majority of its skilled officers, diplomats and civil servants, and suffers from numerous political problems as a result. Category:Events Category:Wars